Patentable/Patents/US-8489952
US-8489952

Method and apparatus for providing error detection in coordination with a radio link layer

PublishedJuly 16, 2013
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

An approach includes detecting failure of an error detection scheme relating to transmission of data units of a transport block. A negative acknowledgement message is generated in response to the detection of the failure. The negative acknowledgement message is forwarded to a radio link controller for discarding one or more of the data units.

Patent Claims
14 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A method comprising: detecting failure of an error detection scheme relating to transmission of data units of a transport block; generating a negative acknowledgement message in response to the detection of the failure; forwarding the negative acknowledgement message to a radio link controller for discarding one or more of the data units, and upon receipt of the negative acknowledgement message, examining one or more unacknowledged logical channels to determine whether the unacknowledged logical channels are transporting one of the data units.

Plain English Translation

A method for handling transmission errors involves detecting a failure in the error detection process during data transmission. Specifically, when data units of a transport block (a collection of data for transmission) fail the error detection check, a negative acknowledgement (NACK) message is generated. This NACK is then sent to a radio link controller, instructing it to discard the problematic data units. Upon receiving the NACK, the radio link controller checks unacknowledged logical channels (communication pathways) to see if they are carrying the failed data units.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the radio link controller is configured, upon receipt of the negative acknowledgement message, to examine one or more acknowledged logical channels to determine whether the acknowledged logical channels are transporting a last retransmission of one of the data units.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the previous error handling method, when the radio link controller receives the negative acknowledgement message, it also examines acknowledged logical channels to determine if any of them are transporting a *last* retransmission of the failed data units. This is done to ensure that even if a retransmission was attempted, and it's the last one allowed, it's also discarded when an unrecoverable error is detected to prevent using corrupted data.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the error detection scheme includes a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism.

Plain English Translation

Expanding on the core error handling method, the error detection scheme that's used to detect transmission failures is specifically a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism. HARQ is a common technique combining error detection (like checksums) with retransmission requests, allowing for more robust data delivery over wireless links. The system detects failures of the HARQ process related to the transport block data units.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the negative acknowledgement message is generated according to a layer 2 protocol that includes a medium access control (MAC) sublayer for multiplexing logical channels to form the transport block.

Plain English Translation

In the described error handling method, the negative acknowledgement message is generated according to a Layer 2 protocol. This Layer 2 protocol includes a medium access control (MAC) sublayer. The MAC sublayer is responsible for multiplexing different logical channels to form the transport block being transmitted. Thus, the NACK generation is integrated with the lower-level communication protocol responsible for managing access to the wireless medium and combining data streams.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the negative acknowledgement message is not directed to the error detection scheme.

Plain English Translation

In the error detection and correction process, the negative acknowledgement message is *not* sent directly back to the original error detection scheme (like the HARQ process). Instead, the NACK is routed to the radio link controller, bypassing the direct feedback loop to the HARQ mechanism. This indicates a specific architecture where error reporting is handled separately from the HARQ process's internal retransmission management.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform detecting failure of an error detection scheme relating to transmission of data units of a transport block; generating a negative acknowledgement message in response to the detection of the failure; forwarding the negative acknowledgement message to a radio link controller for discarding one or more of the data units, and upon receipt of the negative acknowledgement message, examining one or more unacknowledged logical channels to determine whether the unacknowledged logical channels are transporting one of the data units.

Plain English Translation

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions. When executed by a processor, these instructions cause the processor to detect failure in an error detection scheme during transmission of data units in a transport block. In response, a negative acknowledgement message is generated and forwarded to a radio link controller. The radio link controller discards one or more of the data units and examines unacknowledged logical channels to see if they are transporting the failed data units. This effectively describes the software implementation of the error handling method.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following detecting failure of an error detection scheme relating to transmission of data units of a transport block, and generating a negative acknowledgement message in response to the detection of the failure, wherein the negative acknowledgement message is forwarded to a radio link controller for discarding one or more of the data units, wherein the radio link controller is configured, upon receipt of the negative acknowledgement message, to examine one or more unacknowledged logical channels to determine whether the unacknowledged logical channels are transporting a data unit corresponding to the transport block.

Plain English Translation

An apparatus (like a smartphone or base station) includes a processor and memory. The memory contains program code that, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to detect failure in an error detection scheme relating to transmission of data units of a transport block. The apparatus generates a negative acknowledgement message and forwards it to a radio link controller for discarding one or more data units. Upon receipt, the radio link controller examines unacknowledged logical channels to determine if they're carrying a data unit related to the failed transport block. This claims a hardware implementation.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. An apparatus according to any one of claim 7 , wherein the radio link controller is configured, upon receipt of the negative acknowledgement message, to examine one or more acknowledged logical channels to determine whether the acknowledged logical channels are transporting a last retransmission of one of the data units.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the previous apparatus description, the radio link controller is further configured, upon receiving the negative acknowledgement message, to examine acknowledged logical channels to determine whether those channels are carrying a *last* retransmission of one of the failed data units. This ensures that even the final attempt to retransmit data is discarded if an unrecoverable error is detected, preventing the use of potentially corrupted information.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the error detection scheme includes a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus described previously, which discards data units upon receiving a negative acknowledgement, uses a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism for error detection. That is, the error detection scheme that signals the need for the negative acknowledgement, which then triggers the discard and channel examination, is based on the HARQ protocol.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the negative acknowledgement message is generated according to a layer 2 protocol that includes a medium access control (MAC) sublayer for multiplexing logical channels to form the transport block.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus, which uses HARQ for error detection and generates a negative acknowledgement to discard data units, generates the negative acknowledgement message according to a Layer 2 protocol. This Layer 2 protocol includes a medium access control (MAC) sublayer. The MAC sublayer is responsible for multiplexing different logical channels to form the transport block.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. An apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the negative acknowledgement message is not directed to the error detection scheme.

Plain English Translation

In the apparatus described, the negative acknowledgement message is *not* sent directly back to the error detection scheme (HARQ). Instead, the NACK is routed to the radio link controller. This means the HARQ process doesn't get direct feedback from the NACK, indicating a specific architectural separation of error reporting and HARQ's internal retransmission management.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. A method comprising: generating, at a radio link control layer, a protocol data unit transporting one or more service data units; forwarding the protocol data unit to an error detection logic configured to execute an error detection scheme relating to transmission of the protocol data unit, and to determine transmission failure of the protocol data unit; receiving, at the radio link control layer, a negative acknowledgement message from the error detection logic; discarding one or more of the service data units in response to the negative acknowledgement message; and examining one or more unacknowledged logical channels to determine whether the unacknowledged logical channels are transporting the service data units.

Plain English Translation

A method at the radio link control layer involves generating a protocol data unit (PDU) that transports one or more service data units (SDUs). This PDU is sent to error detection logic, which uses an error detection scheme to determine if the transmission failed. If a failure is detected, the radio link control layer receives a negative acknowledgement message and discards one or more of the SDUs. It then examines unacknowledged logical channels to see if they are transporting the discarded SDUs.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. A method according to claim 12 , further comprising: examining one or more acknowledged logical channels to determine whether the acknowledged logical channels are transporting a last retransmission of one of the data units.

Plain English Translation

In addition to the previous method of error handling, the radio link control layer also examines acknowledged logical channels to see if they are transporting a *last* retransmission of one of the discarded service data units (SDUs). This guarantees that even the last attempt to resend the data is discarded if a negative acknowledgement message was received, preventing usage of potentially faulty data from the final retransmission attempt.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. A method according to claim 13 , wherein the error detection scheme includes a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism.

Plain English Translation

In this radio link control layer error handling method, where the radio link control layer discards SDUs upon receiving a NACK and examines logical channels, the error detection scheme that determines transmission failure is specifically a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) mechanism. The HARQ process, if it fails, triggers the NACK that causes the radio link control layer to take action.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

June 13, 2008

Publication Date

July 16, 2013

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